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liltaz-asatreat · 2 years

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Day 28 of @taznovembercelebration : Large, vampire

Kravitz’s zune rings, and he throws his book down onto the bed next to him and scrambles to pick it up. He checks the caller ID, and the tension that has been building inside him for the past day leaves him somewhat. He hits the answer button and puts the zune up to his ear. “Taako! Love, what happened? You never called yesterday; I was getting worried.”

He can hear Taako laugh a little breathily on the other end of the line. “Yeah, I did goof on that, but you know how adventuring is. Listen... I have to tell you something really important, but promise you won’t get upset.” He says with a hint of a quiver in his voice.

Oh no. “I mean... that’s going to depend- Hold on. First things first, are you safe?” Kravitz asks, biting his lip.

There’s a pause. “Yeah, I am now,” Taako says. “But uh... some really bad shit went down... very badly, and I’m sort of... different? Now?”

Kravitz continues to gnaw on his lip worriedly. “Different how? What’s going on?”

“I accidentally... sort of... became semi-immortal again,” Taako says in a strained voice.

Kravitz takes a beat before slowly bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “What- How do you accidentally become semi-immortal, Taako?”

“Well, I uh... I was in this large cave because I got hired to clear it out, and there may have been a few more vampires than I was expecting, and maybe I should have gotten back up before trying to take all of them on, and maybe I should have used a spell slot, but it hasn’t been a year yet, and I wasn’t about to lose the bet.” Taako explains.

Kravitz is stunned into shocked silence. “You... Let me get this straight.”

“Kind of hard to do that for you and me specifically,” Taako jokes, and Kravitz groans.

“This isn’t... This isn’t a great time for jokes, babe. You went into a cave full of vampires, by yourself, and you got turned into a vampire, because you didn’t want to use a spell slot, so you can get a back rub?” Kravitz says incredulously.

“Well when you put it like that, it seems a little more ridiculous than the reality of the situation-” Taako begins, but Kravitz cuts him off.

“Babe, this is just as ridiculous as it sounds! This is serious! Why didn’t you call before going into the cave? You know that’s my entire job!”

“By the time I realized I was in over my head, I didn’t have a chance to call you because I was a little busy fighting for my life!”

“Without using magic? You’re a wizard! I would have forgiven you using magic in that context, bet be damned!” Kravitz says, jumping up from the bed.

“For one, I’m a ranger now, not a wizard,” Taako says hotly.

“Rangers cast spells too!” Kravitz says, bordering on yelling.

“For two,” Taako continues, ignoring him, “it all worked out in the end... somewhat... I mean, I’m still here and kicking. I’m just a little colder to the touch now and have some kick ass fangs.”

“You died!” Kravitz is on the verge of frustrated tears. “You’re an undead being now! I’m the Grim Reaper! It’s my job to hunt undead people down- We literally had this problem before The Raven Queen granted you clemency for dying eight times!”

“And I’m sure she’d be understanding because I’m Taako from TV, savior of all of existence, emissary of Istus, and also I’ve been dating you for over ten years.” Taako says.

Kravitz sinks back onto the bed. He puts his face in his hand and takes a minute to calm down. “Goddess I really hope so, Taako. I can’t...” He sighs. “I love you, you know that?”

“Yeah, babe, I know,” Taako says quietly.

There’s another pause. “I’m going to work this out with her, I promise. For now... Where are you? I’m going to bring you home.”

“I’m in a cave outside of Rockport in the Teeth. I’ll drop you a pin in Fantasy Google Maps.” Taako pauses. “Can we at least go collect the gold I was promised before we head home? Also, if you could bring... blood I guess? Like, any blood because I’m starving.”

Kravitz sighs again. “Yeah, I’ll stop by the butcher’s and see what I can grab for you.”

“Thank you, babe.”

“Okay, I’ll see you-”

“Oh, son of a bitch!”

“What?” Kravitz asks in confusion.

“I’m not going to be able to eat food anymore! What am I supposed to do if I can’t enjoy my own cooking? This isn’t fair!” Taako whines, and Kravitz bursts out laughing.

“Wait, so I may end up having to bring you in to see The Raven Queen because you’re a vampire now, and the thing you’re concerned about is that you can’t eat food anymore?” Kravitz asks incredulously.

“Yeah, I mean, I know you’re going to be able to work something out. You always do, but we can’t work out how I’m going to eat tacos again!” Taako says in frustration, and Kravitz laughs again.

“I’m sure we can work something out eventually, love. Okay, I’ll see you soon.” Kravitz says.

“See you. I love you, babe.”

“Love you too.” Kravitz hears a click, and the line goes dead.

Goddess please don’t kill either of them. On the bright side though, if his goddess chooses to let this be, at least Kravitz doesn’t have to worry about Taako dying on him in the future due to old age. As long as he’s careful, he can live just as long as him, Lup, and Barry. Kravitz smiles at that thought as he grabs his scythe. Maybe this could work out for the better after all.

#TAZNC #taz november celebration #taz #taz imbalance #taz imbalance spoilers #taz fanfic #taakitz #taako #taz taako #kravitz #taz kravitz #taz au #written works of Gab

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barryjeanblues · 4 years

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taako meets death (again)

(also posted to my ao3)

taako has met two raven queens in his life before now.

well, close enough, at least. most - though not all - of the worlds the starblaster had traveled to had gods, and surprisingly enough, those gods were usually - though not always - strikingly similar to their homeworlds gods. (this was useful, because one of the crews number relied very heavily on a certain nature god for his magic. luckily, the nature or life god of each world always seemed to have a soft spot for little old merle, even if they werent merles traditional cloven-hoofed pan.)

twice, taako had met the death god - someone equivalent to faeruns raven queen.

this had led to taakos understandable trepidation upon kravitz finally putting his foot down and insisting taako meet his mother boss.

the first time taako had met a raven queen, she had been… overwhelming. the light of creation had fallen into a forest dedicated to her and her followers, and the head acolyte refused to give the wandering crew the light unless they first received permission from the queen.

the crew had agreed, with no other option, bracing themselves to firmly explain the direness of the situation. surely a goddess would be intelligent enough to understand.

that raven queen had burst into a forest cleaning in an explosion of black feathers, half illusion, half steel, so that when lup brushed the smoky feathers from her eyes they blurred and dissipated, but when magnus tried the same thing he yelped and brought his hand back bleeding.

that raven queens laughter had been eerie and echoing, almost but not quite mocking, almost but not quite infectious, almost but not quite joyous. the crew had stood firm and offered their argument, and the queen had given them tests and tokens and bargains and tricky promises with too many clauses and loopholes and at the end of it all the ipres numbers had been halved and the rest were weary and worn as they caught the light of creation and fled with only minutes to spare, the faelike laughter of death following them terribly even through the overwhelming cacophony of the hungers assault.

that laughter had trailed after them longer, if only in their heads. taako would be making stir fry, planning outfits, swapping merles shampoo for hair-loss potions, when hed have to sit down suddenly and breathe through the musical trills of the raven queens cruel pleasure. it had seemed to bounce in his head the way a rubber ball might, ricocheting off thoughts and feelings until it rolled under a couch to be forgotten about, till some slight movement sent it rolling and bouncing about once more.

davenport had died in an illusion, thinking he was saving his crew. poor merle had been choked by his own plants, betrayal writ across hos face. barrys skin had grown sickly purple with poison - ten to one odds arent very good odds. taako doesnt forget easily. he decides the goddess of death can go fuck herself.

the second raven queen taako had met much later in their journey, and taako had met her alone.

lup and barry had become liches a few cycles back. it was something taako had still been coming to terms with.

taako loves lup. this is an immutable fact of any and every universe. taako loves lup and lup loves taako and not death or memory or space can separate them, not for long. but seeing your sister die, and then… go beyond death, to twist herself and latch on to a chance that she may never return except in madness and spite - thats a hard thing to grasp, even when she succeeds. taako had still found himself shivering when his sister forgot she had a body again and grabbed a hot pan off the stove, crying out in pain. taako still woke sweating from nightmares in which his sister and his friend flew apart and reformed as cackling red robed horrors of insanity and cruelty, too far for him to reach.

until that cycle, though, barry and lups choice had only been an asset.

but some raven queens do not take kindly to anything they see as a perversion of their domain.

barely a week into that cycle, taako had awoken from the guilty non-elven pleasure of a nap only to find himself in some cold, hard court, fashioned seemingly of steel and silver and concrete, onyx lining the floor and the only color coming from sparse sapphires sparkled throughout the long echoing hall.

at the end of it - and taako had known his eyes must have played tricks on him, because at first the being at the end of the hall seemed, while large, not much larger than a giant, but when hed called a nervous greeting his voice had echoed so awfully he knew the hall stretched much farther than hed thought and the goddess at the end of it must have been unimaginably huge.

her eyes had glinted a flinty sapphire in her carven steel face when she ordered him to defend the existence of his sister and his sisters lover.

taako had tried. he truly, truly had. but while taako is a being of preservation and caution, full of intelligence and cleverness, he is not one of cold hard logic. perhaps lucretia could have convinced this raven queen, the only of their number who had ever been able to grasp true hard reason… but taako doubts it. he had doubted it then and he doubts it even more these days.

the point is, taako, for all his love for his family and his brilliant wit and devotion (probably, in fact, because of it) taakos arguments couldnt convince that raven queen. she saw past his genuine belief that lup and barry had made a good decision, and into his fears for her, and the goddess of death had based her own argument on those. she won. taako never had a chance.

he, lup, and barry had woken up in the next cycle, newly resurrected. taako never stops feeling guilty about it.

so. yes.

taako is more than a little nervous about meeting the goddess his boyfriend serves so devotedly. but, and youd be hard pressed to convince him to admit it, taako would do anything for kravitz. and despite it all he does actually want to see what the deal is with his sister and his best friends boss, and his patron gods… friend? lover? girlfriend? taako isnt quite sure what fate and death are to each other, but its definitely something.

kravitz lays a warm hand on taakos shoulder, but taako squares them up. he can do this, for fucks sake - hes died a shitton of times, he can meet death.

the doors open and taakos breath - the only breath in this realm of the dead - catches in his throat.

taako is a die hard istus fan, and shell always be his goddess. but if taako wasnt a taken elf, hed follow the raven queen, he realizes with a startle.

shes beautiful, yes. shes gorgeous, and taakos always been weak for beauty, but hers isnt the cold hard beauty of gemstones and gold, thinks his nimble fingers snatch up and hoard in his endless pockets. the raven queen is beautiful in a way that taako cant describe as anything other than simple.

he cant pin down any features. she has a kind face, gentle hands, bright eyes, but taako can tell she is a goddess because despite staying still the image of her flicks and shifts in his head. at once she seems to have every kind face hes ever seen, even if he doesnt recognize anyone. her hands reach out to comfort him - no more than comfort - but she stands without moving in front of taako and kravitz. her eyes glitter and sparkle and crinkle up with cheerful laughter, except taako isnt entirely sure she has eyes at all, or maybe she has too many.

he thinks… he thinks maybe she has wings, or maybe theyre arms, or maybe theyre black fabric, draped around and behind and below and above her, shifting with the last breaths of every mortal in the universe. its darkness but its not scary, taako realizes, its solacing, healing, the way that he feels when dusk passes to night and the sky is huge and warm and the brush of lups hand against his as she says goodbye for the night is a relief and a love.

hello, taako, death says. its lovely to meet you.

she means it, taako knows. he can tell, somehow. shes just happy to meet him. nothing more, nothing less.

'oh,' taako says aloud, and kravitz laughs his quiet sweet dorky laugh, and the raven queen laughs too, and its just that. its just a laugh, and its a nice one.

'oh indeed,' kravitz says. 'taako, did you really think id serve a monster or a cruel master?'

'well,' taako replies hesitantly, 'honestly, homie, i kind of thought you were, and id, like, have to start some quest to slay death itself and rescue you.'

the anthropomorphic personification of death laughs again, a note of delight in her tender voice. i like him, my kravitz, she says, good job.

kravitz does the dead-reaper equivalent of blushing. taako grins a little because its very cute.

'death is different here,' taako hums. 'its… it wasnt like this anywhere else i went. it was cold, or cruel, or empty. i dunno why its different in your world.'

'then i guess we're the lucky ones, huh?' kravitz asks. taako leans up against him and murmurs an agreement. 'its why i love my job so much, why it means so much to me. its not that im some hardass, i just…'

'yea, cha'boy gets it now,' assures taako. 'still.' he looks at the ever-shifting, ever-stable face of death again. 'you better treat my boy kravitz and my lady istus well, capiche? or we will have issues.'

its a deal, taako, the raven queen says, smiling.

when taako opens his eyes, hes in his home in the material plane, and kravitz is next to him, and theyre both smiling.

#this is unedited and also i wrote it at 4am #taako #kravitz #taakitz #the raven queen #taz balance #the adventure zone balance #fanfiction #death tw #trigger warning for death because it is a fic about the goddess of death #and also taako mentions some times that they died before story and song (so they dont count)#m text #fic #text #ask to tag #o shit yea and its lowkey lowkey inspired by gaimans death because i like the idea of a nice death

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internationalhouseofblupjeans · 6 years

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An Eighth Bird, Born Out of the Storm - Chapter 5

Based loosely on the Luume'irma headcanon from @interstellarvagabond

Lup and Taako get their decennial “visitor” just before the fateful trip on the Starblaster. Taako holes up in his room, meditating away the discomfort while Lup discovers a partner for the week. Unforeseen consequences arise. Bonds are created. An eighth bird rises.

Eighth Bird AU.

The crew lands on a hostile planet and, within the span of a couple of weeks, loses three members. Barry is numb. Taako doesn't eat. Magnus is no longer hospitable.

This chapter is rough, guys. I apologize in advance. The angst got away from me in this one, so warning for blood, major (temporary) character deaths, and a character dealing with disassociating. I tried not to get too explicit with the violence, but this chapter is gonna hurt.

Thank you to Calcu from the writer’s chat for Beta'ing!!

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 below Chapter 6 Chapter 7Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22

To whom it may concern:

This is my fifth request in regards to the clerical mistake made when I first joined the IPRE. I realize that cursive is difficult for some of the younger administrators to read, however my name should have been written as Darry Hallwinter. I realize my mistake in that I should have used my full birth name of Sildar, but Darry is an acceptable nickname.

Additionally, I believe a clarification needs to be made with my last name. I am not sure who changed it, but my last name is indeed Hallwinter. It is not Bluejeans. Bluejeans is not a family name.

Enclosed are my birth certificate and government issued ID card. Please contact me at your earliest convenience to correct this error.

Thank you,

Sildar Hallwinter

Barry realized it after leaving Tesseralia.

Lup had missed her “visitor” three times now.

This wasn’t just planar shenanigans. There was no way that this had to do with planar magic.

He wanted to talk with her about it, but as soon as Taako was out of Magnus’ room at the end of his week, Lup was constantly at his side. He couldn’t find a time to be alone with her.

When the cycle reset and the crew landed, Lup and Barry went out to survey the area. Barry was nervous the entire time, wanting to ask her about her missing visitor. What if she was pregnant? What would they even do now?

What was their relationship at this point?

The sound of something whizzing past him shook Barry out of his reverie. He looked up and gasped.

Lup was standing, slumped over, in front of him. Her back was to him, but he saw an iron spear sticking out of her back.

No no no no …

Barry ran to Lup’s side, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. She was staring down at the ground, shock on her face as she tried to breathe around the spear that went through her.He looked around, prepared for a fight, but saw no one.

It must have been a trap. He could have been killed instead.

I should have ...

“Lup …” Barry whispered.

She looked up at him and her expression softened as she tried to smile, sadly.

“Well, I guess that’s it for this year, huh?” She gasped.

“I’ll … I’ll get Merle!” Barry cried out.

“N… No … Don’t leave me,” she whispered. “I don’t like being alone …”

Barry froze for a moment before he moved in closer to her. He tried to cradle her without moving her too much, not wanting to make her feel any more pain than she already did.

“I was going to talk to you but … I can’t focus … Remind me next cycle,” she whispered.

Barry nodded, trying to keep himself together.

“Taak … Take care of …” she pressed her head into Barry’s chest. “Hurts …”

“I know,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry …”

“Not your …”

Lup closed her eyes and took a few more shallow breaths. Barry held her close, tears spilling onto her dark hair. He wasn’t sure how long it had been, but eventually, the breathing stopped and the warmth started to leave her body.

He’d been there when she died before, but it was always at the end of a cycle. Always quick.

He’d never gone through an entire cycle without her before.

Taako waited nervously for Lup and Barry to return.

As soon as they had reformed at the end of the Beach cycle, Lup had pulled Taako into her room and sat him down.

“Taako … I … I’m pregnant.”

“I fucking knew it. Who was it? Was it Davenport? Fuck, please tell me it wasn’t Davenport! Barry’s going to be so upset!”

“Oh Gods … He is, isn’t he? He probably didn’t want this at all and now I’ve saddled him with this! We just thought it was going to be for a week. Just a fling! And now I’ve tied him down with this if we ever get out of these cycles! He’s going to hate me! I can’t tell him-”

“Wait … Tied down … Barry?”

“Yeah … He’s going to be so- Wait … Davenport’s …. You thought I was pregnant with Cap’n’port’s kid?” Lup had asked, perplexed and horrified.

“Well you weren’t all over Barry like I thought you would be and he never said anything!” Taako complained. “So … You and Barry?”

“Yeah … during my …”

“Hachi Machi ….”

“Yeah .. and we kept saying it would only be a fling but, Taako, I think I’m in love with him …”

“Wow … Yeah …” Taako started. “I mean, that’s good but, Lup, you’ve gotta tell him …”

“I know but … I can’t. He doesn’t need this, on top of everything else! It’s not fair to him!”

“Lulu …”

Taako had wanted to say something, anything to make this easier, but Barry had put his trust in him. If he wasn’t ready to say anything …

“Ok … Well, just - Just think about telling him, Ok? Doesn’t have to be now, but he deserves to know,” Taako sighed.

“I know …”

When Lup had told Barry to come with her on the survey, she looked to Taako with the look that said, “I’m going to tell him.”

And they were still out there.

Taako knew, deep down, that eventually Barry would be alright with this. He had to know that this was a possibility. And he’d said he loved Lup.

When he only saw Barry appear through the trees, his heart caught in his chest.

When he saw the blood on his shirt as he got closer, Taako’s heart plummeted.

“No …” he whispered before running out to Barry.

Barry stumbled out of the forest, still in shock. He couldn’t lift her body off of the spear. He could barely move his arms. He stopped when he saw Taako bolting towards him.

Lup’s name must have escaped his own lips. He must have said something because Taako looked absolutely destroyed. He expected anger. He expected Taako to rage against him, to hate him for letting his sister die so soon.

Instead, Taako pulled Barry into a close hug.

“Barold … Gods, I’m so … I’m so sorry Barry …”

Barry crumpled into Taako’s arms and wept bitterly as Taako tried to calm him down. Taako was too in shock to mourn properly. Barry and Lup were supposed to have their heart to heart conversation. Barry was supposed to get (hopefully) good news.

Instead, she was gone for a year.

A whole year.

Taako had never been without his sister for that long, in the century he had been alive. He had never even imagined what life would be like without her.

He helped Barry back into the Starblaster where they were greeted by a concerned Merle who immediately paled when he saw the blood on Barry’s shirt.

“Not mine …” Barry mumbled, hoarsely. “Lup’s …”

That night, Magnus went with Barry to where Lup had been killed. Taako found himself in his sister’s room, wrapped up in her blankets.

He had tried to keep himself from crying. From showing any weakness.

He had to put on a brave face. Lup was always so much braver than he was. Even as children, she was the brave one. She was the one that protected him.

Now she was gone for a year.

He looked around her room. Everything was painful to look at but he couldn’t leave the room. He couldn’t leave the reminders that his sister existed. He curled up tighter in Lup’s blanket.

Maybe she wasn’t really dead. Maybe this was all a sick prank.

But Barry’s face. The shock he had been in.

Lup was dead.

And they were going to bring her body back soon.

Barry looked at the bloody spear.

Lup was gone.

“She … Someone …” Barry started.

Magnus pulled Barry close. He looked around, scanning for movement.

Whoever had taken Lup was long gone. He felt Barry trembling in Magnus’ arms.

“Why … Gods … We can’t even bury her …”

“I’m sorry,” Magnus whispered.

“We … We should go back …”

Magnus nodded and helped Barry back to the Starblaster. In the morning, he would mount an expedition and see who was out there. Maybe he could still find Lup’s body so that the crew could have closure for this year.

So that Taako could have closure …

He watched as Barry stumbled down the hall, stopping in front of Lup’s doorway before entering. He heard him speaking softly to someone in there before a loud sob escaped the room.

Taako …

Magnus continued on to his own room and got ready. He was going to find who did this.

Fuck his rustic hospitality.

They hurt his family.

Over the next few days, the crew waited in the ship as Magnus continued his quest. He had gone out with as much of the armory as he could carry and rations for days. Taako had not moved from Lup’s bed, not even for meals. Barry had brought in food but it always sat, untouched, on the bedside table. Barry tried to get Taako to eat, but eventually, he was locked out of Lup’s room after Taako enchanted the lock.

He sat outside the door, waiting and worrying.

He couldn’t lose Taako too.

After a week, Magnus arrived, disheveled but alive. His eyes were haunted and in his hand was a gunny sack.

“I … I had to steal her,” he explained. “Don’t … Don’t look inside. They’re dangerous unless you’re human. Taako …. He can’t leave the ship. He was lucky he didn’t … Where is he?”

“Lup’s room.”

Magnus nodded, setting down the sack.

“I … I need a shovel. So we can bury her. And … Tell Taako. We’ll do a ceremony if he would like …”

Barry nodded and went to Lup’s room to find the door ajar.

His blood ran cold.

He stepped into the room, the eerie silence hitting him as he walked through the door. He looked at Taako’s form. He looked like he was sleeping but Barry knew better.

He walked over and touched Taako’s arm.

Cold.

He cleaned up the plate of food and walked out, not sure if the shock of losing both twins was going to hit him yet. He passed Magnus who looked at him, concerned.

“You … you need to dig two holes,” Barry whispered.

Magnus broke into a run toward Lup’s room as Barry continued into the kitchen. He set the dishes into the sink and turned on the water, letting the sink fill up.

He could see himself, now, just staring into the water. He could see himself grabbing the soap, pouring it into the sink. He could see the bubbles forming, the foam filling the sink.

He couldn't feel the heat of the water. He couldn't feel the smoothness of the plates or the silverware.

He couldn't feel anything.

He wasn't sure how long he was even standing at the sink. He somehow got all of the dishes done, though he didn't remember doing them.

Lup was going to tell him something.

Taako was so eager for them both to return.

He went outside. The sack was still there. The sack that held Lup.

That held the woman he loved.

He sat down next to it and placed his hand on it. He felt her arm through the sack. Her head. A leg. Haphazardly thrown in.

Oh.

That's why Magnus said not to open it.

Tears pricked his eyes but did not spill out.

When Magnus came out, carrying Taako’s shrouded body, Barry got to work, helping him dig. He didn't notice when he got the splinters in his hands or the blood running down them as he gripped the shovel tightly but Magnus eventually pulled the shovel away from him.

“Go get Merle before he goes into Parley,” Magnus started. “We can do a ceremony …”

Barry must have nodded. He must have gone inside. He didn't remember any of it.

He couldn't really understand what Merle said as he stared into the twin holes in the ground. He thought he saw Lucretia writing something. He wasn't sure.

He just knew one thing.

He needed this year to end.

Lucretia didn't know it then, but a seed was planted.

She watched as the twins’ bodies were lowered into the holes. They were down two crew members now.

Once Merle was in Parley, they would be down three.

She stared at Taako’s grave as she chronicled the funeral.

Taako couldn't live without his sister.

This could never happen again.

Barry ended up being the one to make contact.

It had been four months. Barry still would occasionally find himself handing something off in the lab to someone who wasn't there.

The silence on the ship was deafening. The loss of the twins had created a vacuum. The loss of Merle when he went into Parley made it worse. It felt like everyone was on autopilot.

It's why Barry had found himself outside the ship.

He stood at Lup and Taako's graves. He knew they would be back in less than a year, but it didn't make it any less devastating.

“What were you going to tell me?” He whispered.

The bushes rustled and Barry’s hand went straight to his wand. He stared into the darkness, waiting for something to attack.

Instead, a friendly looking human man emerged.

“Hail and well met!” The stranger crowed. “I'm looking for someone! Perhaps you have seen him-?”

The man stopped when he saw Barry standing over the two mounds.

“Ahh. Did you lose someone in the hunts?”

“The what?” Barry asked.

The man laughed.

“You one of those elf lovers?” He started. “Come on, they're not people like you and me. They're like deer, only more dangerous.”

Barry's hand trembled.

“What …”

“I'm actually looking for the one I caught. I got a Sun Elf in one of my spike traps and took it in for processing. Someone took it and, well, I assumed that it might have been taken by someone who was jealous of my kill … They are rare after all … but now I think I know what happened to it.”

The man reached for his weapon.

Barry cast without thinking.

Magnus was alerted to the loud explosion outside of the Starblaster and raced out. He saw Barry, standing in front of a smoking crater. His whole body was shaking and his jaw was set in anger.

“Barry?” Magnus asked.

“He killed Lup. He killed her for a trophy … They hunt elves here …”

Magnus’ expression softened.

“Yeah. When I found her … It was horrible. I couldn’t even get all of her, Barry … I’m sorry.”

“Fuck this planar system,” he growled before turning back to the ship.

Magnus stared at the smouldering crater. A part of him wished he had told Barry the truth earlier. He knew, however, that if he had, then it would have gotten worse.

He had seen Barry during training before the mission. He knew how powerful he was when he was casting. He knew how easily Barry could lose himself.

He followed Barry back into the ship. There wasn’t any way they could find the light on this plane, anyway. Not with such hostile inhabitants.

Passing by the twins rooms, Magnus wondered if he even cared.

When the year ended, Barry paid his respects one last time to Lup’s grave. He knelt in front of it as the silent storm gathered overheard. A part of him wanted to stay. To not have to wait the agonizing minutes before the reset.

But he knew the rest of the crew still needed him.

He knew that Lup and Taako would be back soon.

As they were pulled apart and reformed, Barry caught his breath, worried that this would be the one time where it didn’t work.

He watched as Lup and Taako formed in the light in front of him, their hands tightly clasped together. They looked to each other and hugged tightly.

“Sorry bro-bro,” Lup whispered. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“I forgot to eat,” Taako responded, sheepishly, earning a playful slap on the back of his head from Lup.

She looked over at Barry, her ears drooping. She then looked to Merle.

“Lup,” Merle started.

“Yeah … Um … Barry? I need to talk with you but …”

Merle nodded and he and Lup left for the sick bay. Barry looked to Taako.

“Sorry dude … Um … If you want, we can wait outside and then you can talk to her?” Taako began, apologetically. “It is pretty important.”

Of course Taako knew whatever it was Lup needed to tell him. They knew everything about each other.

Barry thought back to that day on the beach. He felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Maybe the news wasn’t going to be good after all.

#blupjeans #barry bluejeans #lup #taako #magnus #magnus burnsides #angst #blood tw #death tw

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